First-round playoff capsules

Columbus (3-6) at West Branch (9-0)

In one of the surprises of the season, the Columbus Wildcats won their way into the playoff picture last Friday night, defeating Eddyville-Blakesburg in a rout.

The first playoff appearance in 18 years for the Wildcats will come with a tough matchup, as they will face the No. 2 team in Class 1A, West Branch.

The Wildcat offense has been strong this season, with junior quarterback Carter Colby amassing 1,133 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air, but most of the damage dealt by Columbus has been done on the ground.

Senior running back Mauricio Ramirez picked up 1,360 yards and 15 rushing scores this year, while making an impact as a receiver, adding 370 yards and seven touchdowns on 18 catches.

Colby is the team?s second-leading rusher, adding 401 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, while four other Wildcats have recorded rushing touchdowns.

The Wildcats will look to shore up the defense against West Branch, as they have given up an average of 40.8 points per game this year, and the Bears have scored 41 points per game this season. West Branch?s closest game this season was a 24-14 victory at Alburnett, with each other game decided by at least 20 points.

The West Branch offense is led by junior running back Luke Lenoch, who has accumulated 1,523 yards and 22 touchdowns this season, while senior quarterback Cooper Koenig has picked up 1,328 yards and 17 scores through the air.

Hudson (7-2) at Sigourney/Keota (6-3)

Led by senior running back Peyton Crawford, the Sigourney/Keota Cobras will look to carry their momentum into a playoff run this year.

Crawford has run for 1,559 yards this season, picking up 22 touchdowns, while turning six catches for 136 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cobras have also had strong years from sophomore quarterback Luke Greiner (509 rushing yards, seven touchdowns) and junior running back Jacob Wickencamp (430 yards, seven touchdowns).

Sigourney-Keota might be one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs, having won four straight games, including their final five district games. They also have a blowout win over a talented Pekin team to their credit this season.

The three losses Sigourney-Keota has suffered this season came from BGM, Brooklyn (ranked No. 2 in Class A), Regina (ranked No. 1 in Class 1A) and Mid-Prairie (ranked No. 12 in Class 2A).

Hudson will travel to Sigourney coming off a regular season-final loss, after making a quarterback change after Week 6.

Senior Blake Hottle took over as the signal caller in Week 7, and has completed 51.1 percent of his passes for 472 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in three games.

The Pirates have a multi-headed rushing attack with senior Nick Engel rushing for 670 yards and seven touchdowns this year, joined by Hottle?s 636 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Mid-Prairie (7-2) at PCM, Monroe (7-2)

Mid-Prairie is coming off a pair of wins, and is looking to build that into a winning streak on Wednesday night.

The Hawks took the No. 3 seed in their district and will travel to face PCM, but after suffering losses to the top two teams in its district (Williamsburg and Central Lee), Mid-Prairie has regained its strong offensive form.

In the final two weeks of the season, Mid-Prairie outscored its opponents 63-27, and should have a boost returning to the lineup.

After missing last week?s contest against Mediapolis with an ankle injury, junior running back Ricky Vargas, who leads the team with 900 yards and 11 touchdowns, hopes to return to the lineup on Wednesday.

Behind him, senior Nolan Faselt has put together a solid season, rushing for 625 yards and eight touchdowns, but the Hawks have been especially effective on the passing side of the ball this season.

Senior quarterback Ryan Cortum has thrown for 18 yards per completion, completing eight touchdowns, with his favorite target, Blake Schwartz, catching 22 passes for 469 yards and three scores.

Mid-Prairie?s defense has been stellar all season, only giving up 13.4 points per game on the year, with the highest mark coming in a blowout victory (49-26) over Sigourney-Keota.

PCM has only suffered two losses this season, both coming in blowout fashion to Pella Christian (48-11) in the season opener, and at Class 2A, No. 1 ranked Albia (42-6).

PCM is effective passing the ball, with senior quarterback Logan Gilman completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 2,003 yards, tossing 21 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

They also have an effective runner in senior Logan Litrell, who has 701 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season.